Interacting with us on social media

(Jackson Heights church of Christ / thebibleway.org)

At Jackson Heights, our mission is “to make known the wisdom of God”.  Our presence on social media (Facebook (Meta), Instagram, YouTube, thebibleway.org, etc.) is purposeful.  Our goal is to inform, edify, and invite people to grow closer to God:

           Inform – We will use social media to publish our location, worship and study times, news of the congregation and events of interest.

Edify – We will use this platform to post comments, articles, videos, and audio designed to promote spiritual growth.  This will include some or part of our worship services as well as articles or posts that explore spiritual topics. 

Invite – God “desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4).  Our efforts are designed to invite all people everywhere to examine their lives in the light of God’s word and draw closer to Him.  We offer that invitation and hope to assist through our efforts and follow-up.

Our social media presence is an entrance point for spiritual learning, a place where people should be encouraged, and a place to learn about what happens at Jackson Heights. Not every spiritual subject belongs on social media.  We may request a conversation be taken offline (through personal messaging, email, or face to face discussion where possible).  We will do this if, in our opinion, that is the best avenue to address the conversation and maintain our goals for the platform.

We will monitor our platforms with the following guidelines:

We pledge to post content that we believe to be true and consistent with the Bible.

Our statements and comments will be respectful, inclusive, and given with our best intentions for everyone. We ask that you do the same.

 You should feel safe to express your view, provided it is offered in good faith.

 Discussion is encouraged but must be civil.

We intend to come with open minds and hearts.  We ask that you do the same.

We will try to reply to questions and comments in a timely manner.  Do not assume that a lack of immediate response implies agreement or disagreement with your post or other posts in the thread. 

All users should abide by rules of “netiquette” (no trolling, cross-posting, thread hijacking, etc.).

Our response to improper interaction -

If we determine that some posts are not consistent with our guidelines, we may redirect the conversation, or we may choose to remove those items and indicate the reason for the removal.  We will provide the opportunity to continue the discussion privately by connecting with us at IHaveAnIssue@thebibleway.org.

Persistent violation of our guidelines will result in user(s) being prevented from posting, and potentially reported to the platform (e.g., Facebook/Meta) for additional review.

Thank you for taking the time to read and review this information.
 

Sample post when removing a thread –

“This post has been removed as its content violates our guidelines for respectful, topical discussion.  Additional posts by this user have been suspended for now.  If you feel you were removed in error and / or want to continue the discussion privately, email us at IHaveAnIssue@thebibleway.org. “